Yongpyong Resort & Alpensia Resort

Yongpyong and Alpensia are located in Pyeongchang County, in the province of Gangwon-do; Yongpyong is Korea’s oldest resort (built in 1974) and known for being the biggest & best all-round hill in Korea (along with High1), while Alpensia was originally conceived of specifically to enable a Korean Winter Olympics bid (by including various key pieces of Games infrastructure like the ski jump tower and bobsleigh track). This is finally about to come to fruition, and this pair of neighbouring resorts will be the focal point of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Games, with Alpensia hosting the ski jumping, bobsleigh, and Nordic events, while Yongpyong hosts the slalom & giant slalom (the other downhill events will be at the purpose-built Jeongseon Alpine Centre, with the freestyle events at Phoenix Park)

Yongpyong: the hill

There’s no golf course or water park here; Yongpyong is a proper ski hill. While still fairly small by European or North American standards, Yongpyong is as big as it gets in Korea and has enough scope and variety for a satisfying day riding the groomers; they also have a decent park.

The box at upper right shows the section which will be used for the Olympic slalom events

Yongpyong has one of the best snowfall records in Korea, so it isn’t reliant (as most Korean hills are) on snowmaking – that still isn’t saying much, but the Olympic events on the ‘Rainbow’ runs should have plenty of natural snow. Unfortunately, those runs won’t be available to regular punters in the 2017/18 season due to said events! (along with the gondola and the ‘Silver’ runs; with this in mind, see top 5 Korean hills to ski in the Olympic season)

This is the top section of the Rainbow runs, where the Pyeongchang 2018 slalom events will take place

Yongpyong is basically split into two areas, with a low altitude area of easy and intermediate pistes around the base and a higher area of more challenging terrain including some genuinely steep runs where the Olympic technical (slalom) events will take place. The two areas are connected by the gondola, with one long top-to-bottom run back down; I was expecting this run to be fairly tedious on a board, but actually the gradient is sufficient to keep decent speed up and it’s pretty good fun carving round the bends.

Once you’ve gone up the gondola, the upper area has one chairlift serving the handful of runs up there; the lower area has a total of 12 chairlifts. The resort’s vertical drop of 640m applies to the top-to-bottom run from the gondola; the lower area alone has 340m max vert (from the ‘Gold’ chair), while the upper area (‘Rainbow’ chair) runs have 460m vert – well short of the 800m required for the Olympic Downhill, hence the need to build Jeongseon Alpine Centre.

Yongpyong’s terrain park (looking a bit shabby in this pic as it was very late in the season)

Yongpyong is good for:

The biggest & most varied resort in Korea (along with High1), with some nice steep stuff off the Rainbow chair at the top

Freestyle; the (medium size) park is one of the better ones in Korea.

All levels of rider.

40% discount on lift tickets if you first buy a gift card (see here), then use it to buy your tickets.

Yongpyong is not so good for:

By the standards of Korean ski resorts, Yongpyong is as good as it gets (along with High1) and doesn’t have any particular negatives. However, do be aware that during the Olympic season the best terrain at Yongpyong (the gondola, and the Silver & Rainbow areas) will be off-limits, making High1 the standout option if you’re skiing in Korea in 2017/18.

Alpensia

View from Yongpyong’s ‘Gold’ slopes of the ski jump tower at Alpensia Resort

Alpensia is a completely separate ski resort operated by a different company, but the two are such close neighbours it would only take one short chairlift to link them. Alpensia is a tiny ski hill with just 3 chairlifts and 6 runs down 160m of vert. To be honest I’ve never even ridden there, because there’s no way I’d travel all that way to only hit Alpensia instead of Yongpyong! Seeing it from the base is enough to know I’d have it fully skied out in 20 minutes (including chairlift time), if that. Seems to me that Alpensia would certainly fail as a business if it were only about the ski slopes on offer – the place is more about being an all-round winter sports centre with specific infrastructure required for the Winter Olympics. It also has an attached golf course, and so operates as an upmarket year-round leisure resort.

Yongpyong & Alpensia lift tickets

Yongpyong follows the standard ticketing model in Korea, with the operating hours split into day & night by a 2-hour snow grooming break at 4:30pm; the slopes are open from 8:30am – 4:30pm, and 6:30pm – 2:30am. The daytime hours are subdivided into morning and afternoon, and the nighttime hours are subdivided into evening, night, and late night. You can get lift tickets for any of these individual slots, or for various combinations (details here) with prices ranging from 38,000 won for a late-night pass to 89,000 for afternoon & evening combined.

Yongpyong sells gift cards which can be used throughout the resort to buy food etc, and can also be used to buy lift tickets with a 40% discount; this means you can buy the gift card first, then use it to buy your pass, and have enough left on the card to buy food & coffee – who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch! (based on buying a half-day pass, and correct as of 2016/17 season)

Alpensia lift tickets follow the same basic pattern, but with the mountain closing at 10pm the time slots are simply morning, afternoon, and night, as shown here. Alpensia lift tickets are slightly cheaper than Yongpyong lift tickets, so if you’re just looking for somewhere to take lessons Alpensia is therefore the better choice. For those who can already ride, Yongpyong is far better value.

Airbnb is also a good option in Korea – they have listings near Yongpyong/Alpensia (search for Daegwalnyeong-myeon, the local town) in addition to those in Seoul. If you haven’t used Airbnb before, you can get a 35-dollar discount off your first rental by signing up through Snow Guide Korea; simply click on this link and register!

Pyeongchang 2018 accommodation: if you’re visiting for the Olympics, you almost certainly won’t be able to score a room at Yongpyong or Alpensia (or any of the other resorts in the area); you could search for a room in Gangneung, but those will also be scarce due to Gangneung hosting the indoor events. Another city not too far away with good connections is Wonju, where you may be able to find something (search for rooms in Wonju); but the vast majority of Olympic visitors will have to stay in Seoul and visit the Olympic venues from there using the new Gangneung KTX bullet train.

For full details on where to stay for the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics, see this page for advice and the latest updates

How to get to Yongpyong & Alpensia

The most convenient way is to use the direct shuttle buses from Seoul; these are privately operated and require advance reservation, take 2.5 hours, and cost around 20,000 won.

Alternatively, you can take public buses from Seoul’s Nambu Terminal or Dong Seoul Terminal to the village of Hoenggye, and a local bus or taxi from there (3 hours plus, all in).

The private shuttles are way more convenient, and well-worth the extra 5 dollars or so.

When the new Gangneung KTX line opens (on 22nd December 2017) it will serve Jinbu Station, about 90 minutes journey time from Seoul Station for 22,000 won. A free shuttle bus will run between the station and Yongpyong (schedule not yet confirmed – this page will be updated as & when these details become clear)

To get between Yongpyong and Alpensia there’s an hourly shuttle bus, as per here (this is only for late November 2017 to end January 2018, due to the Olympics – it’s unclear what the arrangement will be in future seasons). It isn’t far by taxi, but unless you’re lucky you’ll have to call one and can expect to pay at least 15,000 won as they have to drive up from town (and charge extra for it)

Any questions about Yongpyong or Alpensia? Leave a comment below!

For more Gangwon-do resorts, see here; for full reviews of every Korean ski resort, see here

Hi, my mum and I will be traveling to seoul end of Feb 2018 and we are keen to stay 2 nights at alpensia. We do not ski but wanna chill and play snow. Would like to get you advice if it’s ok to stay at alpensia during this period.

Hi, my family is planning for a daytrip to Alpensia on 22 Dec from Seoul. Since this is our first trip we want to bring our children to try out the ski. Is that possible? Are we able to get back to Seoul on the same day? What is the time of the last transport available? Appreciate you advice. Thank you.

There is no skiing at Alpensia this season due to the Olympic Games, so you should go to Yongpyong Resort instead. And yes, you can easily go there & back in the same day, don’t worry about that. You can go there on the new KTX bullet train to Jinbu Station, then take the free shuttle bus from the station to the resort.

Do you have any indication that the bullet train will run by that time? I will spend a couple of days between Christmas and New Year in Yongpyong and will visit some other places in the country afterwards, but in absence of firm announcements I am not able to buy the train pass (uncertainty around how many days I will use the pass)

I’m afraid we still don’t know the exact launch date for the KTX – only that it will be some time in December. Could be the 1st, could be the 30th… though it does seem more likely that they’ll get it done before the Xmas/New Year period, it can’t be guaranteed until the date’s confirmed.

Given that December is only a week away it’s amazing they haven’t announced it yet! All very last-minute… hopefully we’ll know any day know, and I’ll update this page as soon as we do.

Hi Alicia, yes, Alpensia’s hotels are open as usual in December. Alpensia and Yongpyong are very close, but the road between them goes around a (small) mountain, so it’s a road distance of several km. You could walk it an hour (or less), while a taxi would take only 5 minutes but cost around 15000 won (because they charge for the callout from town). As for shuttle buses, the shuttle schedules for this winter still haven’t been announced – hopefully, there’ll be a direct shuttle between them, but there might not be. If there isn’t, you’d have to take the Alpensia shuttle to Jinbu Station, then the Yongpyong shuttle back out to Yongpyong – obviously this could take quite a while, depending on the schedules. Once the shuttle schedules are announced I’ll add the links to this page

Hi Simon , my family of 6 will be in Alpensia booked At Holiday Inn and Suites for 3 days 2 nights. Are all establishment within vicinity are open although ski resort are closed? Which is better getting snowboard and gear rental in Alpensia or YongPyong? Thanks.

Hi Meetz, so you’re staying at Alpensia and skiing at Yongpyong? In that case, it’s surely easier to rent your gear at Yongpyong so you don’t have to carry it from Alpensia! I’m also not sure if Alpensia will be renting equipment this season anyway.

Thanks for all your great info Simon!
I’m planning on doing some snowboarding in Korea during the first week of January 2018. I had originally planned to go to Yongpyong/Alpensia but have recently found out about the closure. I was wondering as a beginner (I’m most likely going to need a refresher lesson or two), whether I should stick with Yongpyong (as it sounds like the beginner area is still open) or just go to High1 instead? What are the beginner/intermediate slopes like at Yongpyong vs High1?

Yongpyong and High1 are both good places to learn. But if you’re a beginner, the closures at Yongpyong won’t really affect you, and Yongpyong is easier to get to than High1. So actually I think you can just stick with Yongpyong to be honest!

Thanks for the reply Simon!
Do you know if Yongpyong has something similar to the 50% off for foreigners deal that High1 has? I was somewhat swayed towards High1 when I read about the 50% off from your High1 page, but if Yongpyong has something similar, is easier to get to and the slopes are similar for beginner/intermediate, then I might just stick with Yongpyong. Also do you know if Yongpyong offers lessons?

Hi again Jia Lin, actually yes that’s a good point – the 50% discount at High1 makes it an attractive option. High1 and Yongpyong both have good ski schools with English-speaking instructors available, so you don’t need to worry about that.

For convenience Yongpyong is better, but the discount at High1 might make that the cheaper option. Maybe it also depends what accommodation you can find – the actual resort accommodations are already mostly booked in the first week of January, so you’ll probably have to stay in the nearby towns (e.g. if you go to High1, stay in Gohan town). See the accommodation section on my High1 page for full details: http://www.snowguidekorea.com/ski-resorts/gangwondo/high1-resort/

I’ve just read the Yongpyong page again but in more detail and it looks like there’s a gift card that I can get that’ll give me similar discounts (40% off)? If I get that, I’m guessing that Yongpyong would come to a similar price to High1? If that’s the case, then I think I’ll choose Yongpyong

Hi Jia Lin, yes that’s a good point too! The only thing is, I can’t guarantee that they’re still doing the gift card discount this season, as I haven’t been up there yet and they don’t give those details on their site. On the other hand, High1 definitely has the foreigner discount as per their site. So there could be a slight risk that you don’t get a discount at Yongpyong… but if you’re ok with taking a chance on that, then go for it! (and if you do, please let me know if you could get the discount or not – the feedback would be really useful to keep this page updated)

Hello, do you know how long the shuttle bus ride between KTX Jinbu Station to Yongpyong Alpine Center will be during Winter Olympics? Trying to figure out how early we should get on the train to catch the 10AM game. Thanks!

I don’t know for sure how long the shuttles will take, but judging from the distance I’d estimate probably 25-30 minutes. Also remember to factor in enough time for finding your way through Jinbu Station, and the possibility of having to line up for the shuttle bus. I think at an absolute minimum I’d aim to arrive at Jinbu Station at least 1 hour before the event, or 90 minutes to be safe. As I said, I can’t give a concrete answer, this is just my best guess. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Your website has been a great help with Olympic planning–better than the official Olympic site. Related to last post about shuttle time between KTX Jinbu and Yongpyong, is the distance to Alpensia (biathlon) about the same? I’m not too worried about arrival, but rather making sure I get the train when I leave at 22:00. Thanks.

Hi Tracy, good to hear the site’s useful – I agree the official site’s a bit lacking in some regards, they should’ve just paid me to do it! haha

Anyway, yes Alpensia & Yongpyong are a similar distance from Jinbu KTX, although Alpensia’s closer to the highway so the shuttles to events there will be a bit faster (20 mins perhaps, without heavy traffic).

You’ll be fine for getting the train after a 22:00 finish. I wouldn’t try for the 22:34 though – I’d say book your seats on the 23:34 (reaching Seoul Station at 1:07). If somehow that doesn’t work, there are still two more trains at 0:44 and 1:24, but only as far as Sangbong and Cheongnyangi stations respectively (i.e. leaving you with a fairly long taxi ride to central Seoul)

Let me know if you have any more questions, and hope you have a great trip!

Anyway, I’ll be in Seoul on 4th Jan for 8 days, it’ll be my first winter trip coming from tropical country.

Would you suggest me to head to ski resort (planned on YongPyong considering the ease of access) on weekend, or wait for weekday for less crowd; or it doesn’t matter?

Besides, I’m also trying to find an all-in package for first-time ski lesson (including ski clothes, equipment, and the lift tickets) in YongPyong. Do you happen to have any contact / recommendation? I tried to contact the ski lessons PIC from YongPyong website, but it seems that they only offer the ski lesson while I’m still waiting for their reply too on the gear rental.

Thanks for the info on this site. Some questions, though. My family and I (all of us are low intermediate level) were planning to ski for 3 days in Alpensia right at the end of March (28-31). Firstly, will there be snow at this time of year, and also will there be any lifts/facilities open? I read they are closed in Alpensia for the Olympics, but even the Paralympics end on March 18 so was wondering if they will open after that?

If not, are the slopes at YongPyong open that would suit us? And where would you recommend we stay for ski in/out? We had booked at the Holiday Inn in Alpensia but can cancel without penalty if need be.

There’s no skiing whatsoever at Alpensia this season. If you stay at Alpensia, you’ll have to take the hourly shuttle bus to Yongpyong and ski there. Yongpyong’s runs will still be open in late March except the Rainbow & Silver areas (but these are the more advanced slopes anyway). Looking at the open areas, Yellow & Red are good for low intermediates, and if you find those too easy you can try the Gold area.

Hi Simon! Great info about snow sports in Korea! I have a question too. My sister is flying in from Canada to check out some Olympic sports. She’s a snowboarder herself, so I’m recommending that she spend some time on the slopes at Yongpyong while she’s here, just for fun.
My question is: does she have to reserve a board and lift tickets in advance? She won’t be staying at the resort, so I’m wondering if she can just show up and do a half-day, or if we should get that sorted out for her in advance.

Hi Len, yes there’ll still be snow on the ground in late March. Just remember that there’s no skiing at Alpensia this season, so you wouldn’t be able to do that… sledding may be available, though I’m not 100% sure. I think the Holiday Inn Alpensia would be a good choice, you can search & book their rooms here. Let me know if you have any more questions!

Hi Lonny, very good question – sadly, I think the answer will prove to be negative. They still haven’t decided how all the Olympic venues will be used in future, or if they’ll just be scrapped, but given the lack of cross-country ski culture in Korea I don’t see the Alpensia course surviving (and no, there aren’t any others). The ski jump stadium is going to be (and already has been) used for football (soccer), but we may well see the words ‘Alpensia’ and ‘white elephant’ used together a lot in the next few years…